Legendary Items
Although most adventurers eventually have powerful weapons, armor, and items that grant them special abilities and the might to vanquish the toughest of foes, it is normal in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game that characters will replace their gear as stronger or better-suited options are found in the treasure hordes of slain foes or crafted by the party artificer. This sort of behavior, however, does not allow for the sort of stuff of legends where a hero of old carries a trusty sword their entire career. Instead, characters who keep family heirlooms are often weaker than their counterparts who do not hold to sentimentality. Legendary items are meant to bridge this gap, growing in power as the wielder gains in levels, unlocking new abilities as the campaign progresses. In this fashion, the item can be given to a character early in their career without giving them a powerful artifact that makes encounters trivial. Presented in this section are ten legendary items, presented in a standard format, with the background and description of the item first, then requirements to attune to the item, and finally the abilities the item grants as the character gains in levels. Legendary Item Rules Legendary items follow a standard format and set of rules, as detailed below. * Legendary armor, shields, or weapons have a base legendary value which is usually a +1 enhancement bonus, such as a +1 shield, available even if the wearer is not attuned. * For all other legendary items, the legendary item has a base item ability that the wearer can use even if he does not meet the requirements * Each legendary item has requirements necessary to attune it to the wearer. * If by 4th level for armor, shields, and weapons, or 5th level for all other legendary items, the wearer of the legendary item has met the requirements needed to attune the item, it increases in power to its second item level. * Increasing a legendary item’s power level occurs automatically once the wielder has gained the required wielder minimum level and is attuned to the item. For armor, shields, and weapons, this is every two character levels, and for all other legendary items, for every five character levels. * Any psi-like abilities gained through the use of the legendary item are based on the wearer’s highest mental characteristic (Int, Wis, or Cha). * The manifester level for any effects of the item are based on the wearer’s total Hit Dice. * Only one owner can be attuned to a legendary item at any one time. If the owner dies or loses the item for more than a year and one day or intentionally parts with it, the item is free to become attuned to another. * A character can only be attuned to one legendary item at a time. Bonus Feats Many of the legendary items presented grant bonus feats. Unless otherwise noted, these bonus feats remain in effect as long as the owner is physically wearing the item. The wearer does not need to meet the prerequisites for these bonus feats. Specific Legendary Items